The Every: A Novel by: Dave Eggers
Narrated by: Dion Graham

The book sounded intriguing. It’s actually the second of two novels, but it stands on its own. I did not read the other book, though I probably will read it now. This one, all by itself, is a pretty intense book.

Imagine that Amazon isn’t just Amazon the way it it now. Imagine it is Amazon grafted to Google with a voice via Twitter. They buy businesses or crush them. They are incredibly rich, pay no taxes — nor do any of the other huge companies in this literary universe. They also offer amazing benefits and salaries to those who work there. In fact, the offers they make are so good, hardly anyone can reject them. They are, after all, the EVERY.

There is a small issue, though. When you become part of the EVERY, it’s a bit like being fed into a slow but steady meat grinder in which your will, your beliefs, your hopes, and whatever future you saw for yourself are ground into nothing. You do whatever they want you to do. You become someone else. You can feel that’s what’s happening, but you can’t stop it. They are a runaway train and you are a mere piece of track. What the EVERY wants, it gets. What do they what? That’s a big question. They effectively already have world domination, so what else do they want?

The book is ironic and to some degree, satirical. It’s “Brave New World” crossed with “1984” with hints of “Lord of the Flies.” It is, – in many ways, a bit too close to reality on too many levels to be a comfortable read. That being said, I couldn’t stop reading. The Every made me laugh, though not in a really “ha ha” kind of way. It’s less funny than worrisome. In another 25 years, assuming the world lasts that long, is this how we’ll live? Some of us may already be on the edge of living like that.

The book is available for listening via Audible.com, for regular reading on Kindle and is available in both soft and hardcovers.

It’s fascinating and disturbing. I haven’t described any of the characters or the precise plot because the characters are interesting, but the “universe” is the real star of the novel.

The Every makes you think. You find yourself looking at your life choices and wondering if you’d made slightly different ones, what would your life look like today? There aren’t many books that make you think, so you might want to read it. I can’t guarantee you will like it, but I can promise it will hold your attention, start to finish.

Categories: #Books, Book Review, Conscience and morality, Sci Fi - Fantasy - Time Travel

Tags: "The Every" by Dave Eggers, Book Review, Books, humor, Marilyn Armstrong